Sierra- UCP- Day One

Our first day at UCP Birmingham went completely different than I expected, but was still amazing. I came into it thinking that I would feel awkward and would have to struggle to find things to talk about with the participants. But as soon as I walked in, I was immediately greeted by several people who had neurological disorders. They were all extremely welcoming and very curious about who I was and where I came from. I helped four members bowl in the hallway and it was a lot of fun. They were able to do a lot more than I thought they could, like roll the bowling ball with some assistance, and they had a great time knocking down the pins. I met a woman named Shelly who had a great time bowling, especially when she got a spare. Then we all went back into the classroom and I was able to meet even more people. I was introduced to a woman named Lynne who sorted through magazine cut-outs of fancy outfits, and we talked about which ones we liked and didn’t like. Then a young man came into the room and completely stole the show. His name was Jercolbie and he had such a great spirit about him. He started singing for us and I danced for him. Then I gave an older woman, Faye, a manicure. At first she was very adamant that she did not want one, but eventually warmed up to me. I also met a young man named Ben, who was unable to talk and had a hard time using his hands, but I talked and played games with him. There was never a dull moment at UCP with these wonderful people. I was extremely impressed with the staff and the attention they gave to each member. They all had so much love and passion for what they were doing and the people they worked with.

            We were planning on going to the McWane Science Center in the evening, but there was a “huge” thunderstorm. (“Huge” meaning just some rain and lightning, which is fairly common in Kansas.) But one of the girls and I got trapped at Starbucks when the rain started pouring down heavily and the other girls called and said the power had gone out in the church we were staying at. When we finally made it home, we ended up taking a nap for a couple hours but the power was still off when we woke up. So we had to go out to eat, and chose a place that was recommended to us called El Barrio and it ended up being a really good Mexican restaurant. By the time we got back home, the power was on again.